Desalination in the 2017 State Water Plan

Seawater Desalination

In the 2017 State Water Plan, four regional water planning groups (H, L, M, and N) recommended seawater desalination as water management strategy. If implemented, these strategies would produce 116,000 acre-feet per year of new water supplies by decade 2070. This constitutes about 1.4 % of all the recommended water managment strategies.

Water supplies by decade (acre-feet per year)

Region

Water user group

2020

2030

2040

2050

2060

2070

H

Manufacturing, Brazoria County

0

0

11,200

11,200

11,200

11,200

L

Guadalupe Blanco River Authority*

-

-

-

-

-

-

L

San Antonio Water System*

-

-

-

-

-

-

L

San Antonio

0

0

12,319

23,337

37,364

48,278

L

San Antonio Water System

0

0

5,700

5,700

5,700

5,700

M

Brownsville

2,603

2,603

2,603

2,603

26,022

26,022

M

El Jardin Water Supply Corporation

108

108

108

108

1,081

1,081

M

Manufacturing, Cameron County

56

56

56

56

565

565

M

Steam electric power, Cameron County

33

33

33

33

332

332

N

Manufacturing, Nueces County

0

9,000

9,000

9,000

9,000

9,000

N

Manufacturing, San Patricio County

0

9,000

9,000

9,000

9,000

9,000

N

Steam electric power, Nueces County

0

4,420

4,420

4,420

4,420

4,420

Total

2,800

25,220

54,439

65,457

104,684

115,598

Source: 2017 State Water Plan and 2016 Regional Water Plans

*The strategy is currently not assigned to serve a specific water user group (in other words, the strategy is recommended but are not planned to provide water to users during the 50-year planning period).

Brackish Groundwater Desalination

In the 2017 State Water Plan, eight regional water planning groups (regions E, F, H, J, L, M, N, and O) included groundwater desalination as a recommended water management strategy. If implemented, groundwater desalination strategies will produce about 111,000 acre-feet per year of additional water supply by decade 2070. This constitutes about 1.3 percent of all recommended water management strategies in the state water plan.

Water supplies by decade (acre-feet per year)

Region

Water user group

2020

2030

2040

2050

2060

2070

E

Mining, Culberson County

590

590

590

590

590

590

E

Mining, Culberson County

590

590

590

590

590

590

E

County-other, Hudspeth County

111

111

111

111

111

111

E

El Paso

0

0

11,000

11,000

11,000

11,000

E

El Paso

1,260

2,520

2,520

2,520

2,520

2,520

E

Irrigation, Hudspeth County

230

230

230

230

230

230

E

Horizon City

0

1,457

3,195

4,923

6,562

8,107

E

Horizon Regional Municipal Utility District

8,652

8,652

8,652

8,652

8,652

8,652

Horizon Regional Municipal Utility District

8,652

8,652

8,652

8,652

8,652

8,652

E

Mining, Hudspeth County

30

30

30

30

30

30

E

Lower Valley Water District

6,800

6,800

6,800

6,800

6,800

6,800

F

Concho Rural Water Supply Corporation

150

150

150

150

150

150

F

County-other, Tom Green County

0

0

0

96

105

115

F

Manufacturing, Tom Green County

0

0

0

312

366

425

F

San Angelo

0

0

0

2,928

2,600

2,973

F

San Angelo*

-

-

-

-

-

-

H

County-other, Montgomery County

0

0

0

0

3,622

10,000

H

Dobbin-Plantersville Water Supply Corporation

153

327

570

890

1,337

1,930

H

Conroe

5,600

5,600

5,600

5,600

5,600

5,600

H

County-other, Brazoria County

1,147

1,063

1,003

937

865

800

H

Shenandoah

0

0

472

472

472

472

H

County-other, Montgomery County

3,920

3,920

3,920

3,920

3,920

3,920

H

Steam-electric power, Montgomery County

3,920

3,920

3,920

3,920

3,920

3,920

J

Livestock, Kinney County

22

22

22

22

22

22

L

Canyon Regional Water Authority*

-

-

-

-

-

-

L

County Line Water Supply Corporation

0

0

0

251

440

641

L

Green Valley Special Utility District

0

0

0

0

0

619

L

Alamo Heights

796

848

820

807

805

805

L

Atascosa Rural Water Supply Corporation

1,167

1,446

1,708

1,970

2,218

2,448

L

County-other, Bexar County

0

0

0

1,898

2,113

1,823

L

Kirby

137

207

181

172

169

169

L

Leon Valley

97

147

196

254

317

377

L

San Antonio

3,425

2,974

2,717

521

0

0

L

S S Water Supply Corporation

0

0

0

0

0

234

L

Schertz-Seguin Local Government Corporation*

-

-

-

-

-

-

L

San Antonio Water System*

-

-

-

-

-

-

M

Alamo

1,000

1,000

1,000

1,000

1,000

1,000

M

El Jardin Water Supply Corporation

560

560

560

560

560

560

M

Hebbronville

560

560

560

560

560

560

M

La Feria

1,120

1,120

1,120

1,120

1,120

1,120

M

Laguna Vista

780

780

780

780

780

780

M

Manufacturing, Cameron County

1

1

1

1

1

1

M

Port Isabel

425

425

425

425

425

425

M

South Padre Island

1,034

1,034

1,034

1,034

1,034

1,034

M

Lyford

1,120

1,120

1,120

1,120

1,120

1,120

M

McAllen

2,688

2,688

2,688

2,688

2,688

2,688

M

Mission

2,688

2,688

2,688

2,688

2,688

2,688

M

County-other, Hidalgo County

0

0

0

0

2

2

M

Edinburg

0

0

0

0

4

4

M

Military Highway Water Supply Corporation

0

0

0

0

1

1

M

North Alamo Water Supply Corporation

0

0

0

0

1,410

1,410

M

Primera

0

0

0

0

4

4

M

San Juan

0

0

0

0

800

800

M

San Perlita

0

0

0

0

19

19

M

County-other, Hidalgo County

0

0

0

0

0

37

M

Edinburg

0

0

0

0

0

2

M

Manufacturing, Hidalgo County

0

0

0

0

0

1

M

Manufacturing, Willacy County

0

0

0

0

0

1

M

Military Highway Water Supply Corporation

0

0

0

0

0

1

M

North Alamo Water Supply Corporation

0

0

0

0

0

997

M

Primera

0

0

0

0

0

2

M

San Juan

0

0

0

0

0

70

M

San Perlita

0

0

0

0

0

9

M

County-other, Hidalgo County

1

1

1

1

1

1

M

Edinburg

1

1

1

1

1

1

M

Manufacturing, Hidalgo County

160

160

160

160

160

160

M

Manufacturing, Willacy County

85

85

85

85

85

85

M

Primera

1

1

1

1

1

1

M

San Juan

52

52

52

52

52

52

M

San Perlita

7

7

7

7

7

7

M

Primera

1,120

1,120

1,120

1,120

1,120

1,120

M

San Juan

1,792

1,792

1,792

1,792

1,792

1,792

M

Alton

189

189

189

189

189

189

M

Palmhurst

90

90

90

90

90

90

M

Sharyland Water Supply Corporation

621

621

621

621

621

621

M

Alton

171

171

171

171

171

171

M

Palmhurst

72

72

72

72

72

72

M

Sharyland Water Supply Corporation

657

657

657

657

657

657

M

Union Water Supply Corporation

560

560

560

560

560

560

N

Alice

3,363

3,363

3,363

3,363

3,363

3,363

O

Seminole

500

500

500

500

500

500

O

Abernathy

150

150

150

150

150

150

O

Lubbock

1,120

1,120

1,120

1,120

1,120

1,120

P

Lavaca Navidad River Authority*

-

-

-

-

-

-

Total

70,137

72,944

86,337

91,906

99,706

110,773

Source: 2017 State Water Plan and 2016 Regional Water Plans

*The strategy is currently not assigned to serve a specific water user group (in other words, the strategy is recommended but are not planned to provide water to users during the 50-year planning period).

Surface Water Desalination

In the 2017 State Water Plan, two regional water planning groups (regions F and P) included groundwater desalination as a recommended water management strategy. If implemented, groundwater desalination strategies will produce about 3,000 acre-feet per year of additional water supply by decade 2070.

Water supplies by decade (acre-feet per year)

Region

Water user group

2020

2030

2040

2050

2060

2070

F

Big Spring

0

0

39

43

48

52

F

Colorado River Municipal Water District*

-

-

-

-

-

-

F

County-other, Ector County

0

0

0

38

89

139

F

County-other, Howard County

0

0

82

82

82

82

F

County-other, Scurry County

0

0

36

43

51

60

F

Manufacturing, Howard County

0

0

154

171

205

240

F

Midland

0

0

687

687

687

687

F

Odessa

0

0

444

489

537

587

F

Snyder

0

0

24

26

29

32

F

Steam electric power, Ector County

0

0

687

687

687

687

P

Lavaca Navidad River Authority*

-

-

-

-

-

-

Total

0

0

2,153

2,266

2,415

2,566

Source: 2017 State Water Plan and 2016 Regional Water Plans

*The strategy is currently not assigned to serve a specific water user group (in other words, the strategy is recommended but are not planned to provide water to users during the 50-year planning period).